First West of England

First West of England operate our m3 metrobus service and will operate the m2 metrobus which launches in autumn 2018 .

They are the largest bus operator in the West of England region, covering Bristol, Bath, Weston-super-Mare, and parts of west Wiltshire, Glastonbury, Street and Wells.

They operate around 600 buses and carry over 62 million passengers per year.

First are a large employer and investor in the region, operating from seven depots and employing approximately 1,800 people.

Since 2015 they have invested over £60 million in new vehicles and £10 million in Metrobus. They have one of the highest low emission fleets in the UK with over 140 low emission buses and have recently invested in a sizeable fleet of biomethane gas powered vehicles.

Bristol Community Transport

They are Bristol’s largest community transport operator and a part of the HCT Group, a leading transport social enterprise, which operates major transport contracts in London, Jersey, Guernsey and Leeds.

BCT will be operating the m1 service under contract to First West of England and are creating 60 new driver and support jobs at their Bedminster depot.

The social enterprise company are also investing £7 million in a fleet of 21 biogas buses for the m1 metrobus service. The buses are carbon neutral and run on gas generated from food waste.

As a social enterprise, they reinvest the profits from their commercial work into further transport services or projects in the communities they serve.

BCT already runs four bus routes for Bristol City Council and also provides low-cost, accessible minibuses for community groups, sports clubs and charities. They run Bristol’s dial-a-ride service and community buses for older and disabled people, helping them to access shops and healthcare, social activities and family occasions.